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Pentax VS20 vs Sony RX10

Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37
Pentax Optio VS20 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 front
Portability
58
Imaging
51
Features
76
Overall
61

Pentax VS20 vs Sony RX10 Key Specs

Pentax VS20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-560mm (F3.1-4.8) lens
  • 235g - 111 x 61 x 38mm
  • Revealed January 2012
Sony RX10
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Raise to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8) lens
  • 813g - 129 x 88 x 102mm
  • Released March 2014
  • Refreshed by Sony RX10 II
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Pentax VS20 vs Sony RX10 Overview

In this article, we will be evaluating the Pentax VS20 versus Sony RX10, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Pentax and Sony. The resolution of the VS20 (16MP) and the RX10 (20MP) is relatively close but the VS20 (1/2.3") and RX10 (1") use different sensor dimensions.

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The VS20 was announced 3 years before the RX10 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving straight into a full comparison, below is a quick summation of how the VS20 matches up vs the RX10 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Sony RX10

 VS20 RX10 

Reasons to pick Sony RX10 over the Pentax VS20

 RX10 VS20 
ReleasedMarch 2014January 2012Newer by 26 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1290k460kSharper screen (+830k dot)

Common features in the Pentax VS20 and Sony RX10

 VS20 RX10 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Pentax VS20 vs Sony RX10 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Pentax VS20 comes with outer measurements of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 has dimensions of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") and a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Look at the Pentax VS20 versus Sony RX10 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the VS20 against the RX10.

Pentax VS20 vs Sony RX10 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the VS20 and RX10 is 90 and 58 respectively.

Pentax VS20 vs Sony RX10 top view buttons comparison

Pentax VS20 vs Sony RX10 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is difficult to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions simply by looking through specs. The image below should provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the VS20 and RX10.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The VS20 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony RX10 will result in more detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The more aged VS20 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Pentax VS20 vs Sony RX10 sensor size comparison

Pentax VS20 vs Sony RX10 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax VS20 vs Sony RX10 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax VS20 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX10 Portrait photography advice
36
you can focus manually
MP count good (16MP)
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
70
manual focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
has face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Pentax VS20 Street photography details
Sony RX10 Street photography details
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors in class (235g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
72
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
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Sports Comparison

Pentax VS20 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX10 as a Sports photography camera
44
great zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
slow fps (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
67
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
weather sealing
great battery life (420 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Pentax VS20 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX10 as a Travel photography camera
68
lighter than competitors in class (235 grams)
MP count good (16MP)
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
long reach (560mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
58
great battery life (420 shots)
weather sealing
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
missing Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax VS20 Landscape photography highlights
Sony RX10 Landscape photography highlights
47
you can focus manually
quite wide (28mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not available
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
missing Time Lapse recording
63
manual focus
relatively wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
great battery life (420 CIPA)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax VS20 Vlogging information
Sony RX10 Vlogging information
30
quite wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors in class (235 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external mic socket
30
relatively wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone port
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Pentax VS20 vs Sony RX10 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax VS20 and Sony RX10
 Pentax Optio VS20Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Sony
Model Pentax Optio VS20 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Large Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2012-01-25 2014-03-20
Body design Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW format
Lowest enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 3 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-560mm (20.0x) 24-200mm (8.3x)
Max aperture f/3.1-4.8 f/2.8
Macro focus distance 3cm -
Crop factor 5.9 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460k dot 1,290k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating WhiteMagic
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/2500 seconds 1/3200 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 2.80 m 10.20 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Auto, fill-flash, slow sync, rear sync, off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p) ,1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 235 gr (0.52 lb) 813 gr (1.79 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") 129 x 88 x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 69
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.6
DXO Low light score not tested 474
Other
Battery life - 420 shots
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI122 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, continuous)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at release $106 $698